Aspects of the invention relate generally to the monitoring and location tracking of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses the life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias of ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, and can treat them through defibrillation. Defibrillation is the application of electrical therapy which stops the arrhythmia, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm. For every minute that a person in cardiac arrest goes without being successfully treated by defibrillation, the chance of survival decreases by 7 percent per minute in the first 3 minutes, and decreases by 10 percent per minute as time advances beyond 3 minutes.
In public places, and in workplaces and industrial areas, AEDs are typically installed in a semi-permanent location, often in a cabinet and/or behind glass that is well marked with potentially bright colors to alert people in the vicinity of the presence of the AED in case of emergency. AEDs often stay in the cabinet or initial location for long periods of time.
However, occasionally they are subject to unauthorized tampering by people in a non-emergency situation. Occasionally, after use in an emergency situation, they are not returned to their original location. When the AED is not in its designated location, it can cause problems the next time use of the AED is needed. Emergency personnel may not be able to locate the AED when they need it. In other situations, emergency personnel arrive on a scene and need an AED but simply don't know where it is located in a building. It would therefore be desirable to have a solution for locating the nearest AED and for monitoring in real-time when an AED has been moved and for being able to identify its potential new location.